Longa-Mavinga National Park, National park in southeastern Angola
Longa-Mavinga National Park covers 46,076 km² of south-eastern Angola, forming the western edge of the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area. Its five habitats are open woodland, dense woodland, open grassland, aquatic vegetation and cultivated land. Dense miombo woodland, dominated by Brachystegia, Julbernadia and Guibortia, grows between the Longa and Cuito rivers, while cultivated land prevails around Longa and Cuito Cuanavale.
Wildlife in the area fell sharply during the Angolan Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 2002. In 2011 the park was proclaimed together with the neighbouring Luengue-Luiana National Park, covering 22,610 km2; the two are contiguous and run as a single unit. A management plan for 2016–2020 set priorities including clearing landmines, controlling fires and combating poaching and illegal logging.
Subsistence farmers live inside the park and set fires that shape the savanna, alongside lightning-ignited burns in the rainy season. Cultivated land is concentrated in the north around the towns of Longa and Cuito Cuanavale. The 2016–2020 management plan lists partnerships with these resident communities and awareness work among residents and authorities as priorities.
The road network inside the park is fairly well developed, but many roads are in poor condition or blocked by landmines left from the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002). A 2016–2020 management plan lists landmine removal and building entrance gates to control entry and exit as priorities, so access points are not yet fully established. Check conditions locally before travelling and stay on routes known to be cleared.
The area is part of a cross-border protection project connecting several countries and forming one of Africa's largest continuous wilderness regions. This international cooperation allows animals to roam freely across national boundaries.
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